


Reasons to Love

by andreawrites



Category: Original Work
Genre: Awkwardness, Best Friends, Engagement, F/M, Family Dinners, Family Drama, Fluff and Smut, Romance, Wedding Night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 09:21:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7929325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andreawrites/pseuds/andreawrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Francis was never a very confident young woman. She just didn't see the beauty in herself that the others could. She has lost her parents at a young age and quickly became independent. But the tragic experience came with a price. She restrained herself from love because she was afraid of losing more people she could love. However, one stubborn best friend remained and by the time Maryanne invited her to a mysterious family dinner, Francis was sure nothing can suprise her anymore when it came to her best friend. Boy was she wrong. And the thing was Francis really hated surprises.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reasons to Love

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I dreamed about and it will possibly go on if I happen to dream of it any further. I didn't double check the grammar.

"Why don't you just tell me what this is about?"

Francis tapped the thin heel of her strappy black heels against the ceramic tiles of the restaurant bathroom she and her best friend Maryanne were currently in. The woman next to her was touching up her coral-coloured lips, her body leaning over one of the sinks to get a closer view of her face in the mirror. When she didn't reply, Francis let out a tired huff. Her eyes scanned the luxurious bathroom walls, which were covered with dark blue tiles and large mirrors above the beautifully carved sinks. The toilets behind them were no less extravagant and Francis thought she felt slightly uncomfortable being surrounded by such prestige she was clearly not used to seeing every day. She thought it odd somehow that Annie decided to invite her family here, even though they did like to be treated well. But as far as Francis knew Annie's crazy family, they were also very humble. Her father came to Los Angeles in the late 60s all the way from Russia to start a new life after the devastating consequences of the second World War. He was just a young, naive teenager, but he managed to find love, have a family and even create a succeesful family business from scratch. Francis admired him deeply for that and she often wished he'd be her father as well. She suppressed a sigh when she remembered the loss of her parents again. She didn't like thinking about it and throughout the years she had trained herself not to let her emotions get the better of her. Despite her sad childhood, Maryanne remained in her life and they became very close to each other. She always joked that she'd prefer Francis as her sister rather than the annoying little brat she had instead.

"I told you it's a surprise," Annie chirped up, puckering her  lips slighty at her reflection. She smiled and looked at Francis through the mirror when she saw her frowning. The she pulled a small eyepencil out of her bag and continued to touch up her already perfect-looking makeup. Francis wanted to chew her lip, because of how unpleasantly nervous she felt this evening, but knew she couldn't. Annie would drop a tantrum if she saw the red lipstick on Francis' lips ruined. Francis' eyes drifted back to her best friend slowly. She thought many times Annie was the better looking woman out of the two of them. She envied her in some way, the blunt confidence she had and the warm glow her light brown eyes radiated. Francis never felt like she had it in herself and that was why she didn't see herself the way Annie saw her. Francis watched the straight golden blonde hair of her best friend spill over her shoulders and her thin yet tall figure Annie must have got from her mother. She wished she could pull off the white pantsuit Annie was wearing. But Francis had a slightly curvier body and she wasn't as tall as her best friend either. She didn't think much of it, because she quite liked her body, but sometimes she couldn't help but get down on herself. Her intense blue eyes travelled from Annie to the reflection of herself. When she shook her head briefly, her chocolate curls bounced around her face. Her long bob with highlights was looking neat tonight, but she thought her curls were going to get rather messy as the night will progress. The corners of her lips were pointed downwards a little when her judgemental gaze observed the short red dress she was in. Annie had picked it up for her and she had assured her it looked magnificent on Francis. The dress reached just above her knee, but it felt to her like it was constantly sliding up because her hips weren't as narrow as the one the dress was originally designed for. The sides of the dress were cut out and Francis could see her taned skin as she turned her body. She liked the dress, she just wasn't totally confident of wearing it tonight of all nights.

"But I really hate surprises," she heard herself say, still staring at her own reflection in the mirror. She really did hate them. And not knowing what was going on tonight felt like the worst idea ever to her. Especially because she was almost sure the night was going to be extremely awkward. She just felt it.

Annie shook her head, a chuckle escaping her lips. "You'll be fine, I promise. And you look damn good, now stop judging yourself."

Annie knew her too well, Francis thought when she turned her attention back to her best friend, who was scolding her playfully with her eyes.

"Let's go," she suddenly decided and took Francis' hand. "My family is probably freaking out as to why we're late."

Francis felt a pang in her stomach in anticipation and she wasn't too excited about the dinner. Usually she loved to eat but tonight she was certain she won't be able to get anything in herself.  
The two women stepped out of the bathroom and into a large hallway, which was in no way less glamorously decorated as the previous room. Francis' shoulders sunk and she had to pace after her best friends, who was still tugging at her arm, whilst smiling widely at anyone that passed by. Annie's charm was probably the main thing Francis really wished she had herself.  
They reached the core of the fancy restaurant in the next moment and were immediately hit with lively chatter and the clanging of silverware against porcelain. The atmosphere inside was buzzing and Francis didn't know exactly where to look. She focused her eyes soon on one of the many large tables at a more secluded area of the restaurant. She recognized Annie's family almost immediately, but a lump formed in her throat when she realized there were also five more people she had absolutely no clue of.  
She almost stopped in her tracks but Maryanne's steady grip objected and Francis had no choice but to walk on. They didn't halt until they were standing right next to the table where down the line waited only two empty chairs clearly intended for them.  
Francis' alarmed baby blue eyes flicked hastily between her best friend's family members. She saw Mr Skowsky on the left side sitting next to his wife. He smiled brightly up at both of them when he saw them arrive. Annie's mom, on the other hand, didn't actually show anything else but disapproval. She was sitting up straight, her once straight blonde hair now coloured grey and pulled in to an elegant ponytail. Francis always felt Mrs Skowsky didn't like her too much, but put up with her because of her daughter, who she was almost obsessed with. And she and Maryanne really did look very much alike; they shared the same tall and thin figure, long blonde hair, bright brown eyes and the identical charming confidence radiating from their faces. Francis slumped some more when Mrs Skowsky's sharp gaze landed on her and she felt herself blush when she realized she was quietly judging the shortness of her dress.  
The brunette diverted her gaze to Annie's older brother David and her stomach twisted uncomfortably. Since she was sixteen, she found him lurking around every corner, obsessing over her and trying to get her into his bed. It was rather exciting at that time, but as the years passed, it quickly turned annoying and sometimes to the point where it became scary just how madly he wanted to get her. She didn't really understand why a man of twentyseven years would still dwell on a hormonal teenage obsession over his sister's best friend. She never awknowledged it or gave him any kind of confirmation to continue with it, but David seemed to have a belief of his own. He was looking at her intently now, his dark eyes piercing through her and when she saw one of his hand disappearing under the table, she turned her head so quickly it almost hurt. Her eyes then stopped on the final member of the Skowsky family, the little thirteen year old called Lemon. A strange name for a very spoiled girl, Francis thought when she caught the blonde girl's bored eyes. Lemon was playing with the hem of her light yellow dress, her thin straight hair in two ponytails. Francis remembered Annie constantly complaining to her of Lemon and how she had always wanted to hang out with the two. But a few years ago, Annie had enough of Lemon's nagging and she somewhere in between of their arguing told her to fuck off. Telling a spoiled little girl to fuck off was definitely not the right idea and as much as Annie regretted it later, Lemon seemed to have hold the grudge.  
Finally it was time for Francis to look at the five strangers behind the large table. She felt their stares since she and Annie walked in, but couldn't recognize any of them. There were a man and a woman, roughly around the same age as Mr and Mrs Skowsky, except they looked much more posh. She thought for a moment they could be from England and later one she discovered she actually wasn't mistaken about their origin. Their eyes were strangely fixated on Annie and looked like they held little interest for Francis. It didn't really bother her. When she moved her gaze to a pair of two men sitting on each side of the two remaining empty seats, she gulped. Annie must have had a reason why she had seated them that way, but Francis dropped the thought quickly when she inspected the young strangers. They looked alike, and if she were to pass them on the street, she'd perhaps thought they were twins. They both shared the same dark brown, almost black shade of hair which was thickly curled. Their faces were shaped the same as well, as were their deep chocolate eyes. The only difference between them was the length of their black hair. The first one had it cut shortly, the sides even shorter than the hair on top. His lips weren't as full as his brother's and there was something odd in his eyes as he stared solemnly at Maryanne. Almost lovingly, Francis realized and when her eyes flicked down to Annie's hand, she couldn't believe her eyes. There was a large, silver ring with a huge white diamond placed on her ring finger. Francis thought it impossible. She would have noticed, she was her best friend! Annie couldn't possibly be... engaged?! She didn't even know she dated anyone for crying out loud! She remembered Annie telling her about a guy that she was messing with a couple of weeks ago, but Francis never thought it was THE guy. 

Her blue eyes moved across the table and she spotted the last member she didn't recognize. It was a little girl, definitely younger than Lemon with short curly brown hair. She was grinning up at her, her excited green eyes beaming. Francis couldn't help but return the smile, but it faided when she felt a shiver run down her spine and her eyes instinctively travelled back to one of the young men. The brother whose hair was longer and sleaked back neatly for tonight's dinner. She found herself staring at his mouth which he seemed to have noticed as his lips formed a smirk. Their eyes met then and Francis stopped breathing altogether. He was looking at her like he was going to launch himself over the table at any moment and... She stopped her trail of thoughts abruptly, seeing his eyes leaving her face to slowly travel down her body. Francis felt herself blushing even more so, the room suddenly too hot for her to be in. There was a strangle tingling feeling spreading all over her body and she suppressed the need to fan herself with her hand. She hadn't felt that intensity and open affection for her from anyone ever. Except perhaps from Annie's brother, but when it was coming from him she always considered it disgusting rather than thrilling. And what she felt right now was no light feeling. Luckily for her, Annie's voice brought her out of her heat and she breathed out a long breath of relief.

"Everyone, thank you for coming tonight." Her best friend's voice sounded warm and genuinely happy and Francis turned her head to look at her as she spoke. 

"As you all may already know, tonight is a very special night." She paused for a moment, grinning from ear to ear. Then she suddenly looked at Francis. "But before I continue, I'd like to present you my best friend Francis Watton. We've been through thick and thin together and have known each other since kindergarten. She's like a sister to me." 

Francis smiled nervously at the people, having their full attention now. She ignored the quiet huff from Lemon and did an awkward wave gesture to officially greet them. When Annie pointed at the empty seat next to the man, who Francis couldn't shake the intense stare off, she still gladly took it rather than being stared at by the majority of the guests behind the table. She slid on the cushioned chair, refusing to look at the incredibly handsome brother next to her. But his scent soon hit her nostrils and she rubbed her lips together tightly, forcing herself to focuse only on Annie who was still standing. 

"Jonathon," she beamed at the other young man and he smiled with affection back before standing and walking over to her side. When he stepped to her, their fingers intertwined and Francis couldn't help but widen her eyes. For a moment she felt offended, feeling like Annie should have told her she had a serious boyfriend. But the announcent that followed made her quickly forget the anger and she realized she wasn't the only one shocked by it.

"As most of you know, Jonathon and I have been seeing each other for a while now."  
They looked at each other in a way Francis could only describe as madly in love. And she couldn't believe her best friend was so lucky.

Jonathon nodded, a huge almost silly grin plastered across his face. "Mr and Mrs Skowsky, I love your daughter more than anything else in my life." Annie's parents smiled and Francis had to blink twice to make sure Annie's mother actually did smile. It was as rare as snow in a desert. 

"There's something we'd like to share with all of you... We're engaged!" Maryanne squealed, the giddiness in her voice revealing just how thrilled and full of joy she really was. Francis' mouth shaped an 'o' and she stared at her best friend as the others started to congratulate them. One after another they stood and embraced each of the lovebirds. Francis followed the move and wrapped her arms around Annie.

"I can't believe you!" She gushed in her ear. "I'm so happy for both of you, but I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

Annie giggled, placing a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

"It was supposed to be a surprise, remember?" She winked, Francis rolling her eyes.  
She turned to Jonathon and congratulated him as well. "Thank you, Francis. Maryanne has told so many good things about you, I am glad to finally have met you."

Francis smiled, "I wish I could say the same for you, Jonathon, but unfortunately Annie didn't even tell me she was seeing you." The brunette threw a glare at her best friend. Jonathon chuckled, rubbing his fiancee's shoulder.

"You can't really blame her for that. Maryanne always had a strange way of keeping some secret from everyone. She didn't tell me until after I proposed that she already has two children, George and Sapphire."

Francis' brow arched amusingly as everyone got quiet when Jonathon's words sunk in. He quickly turned to them. 

"That's her cats I mean." He laughed, the pale faces of the guests seemingly relaxing. They joined in with the laughter and Francis shook her head in disbelief. But she couldn't possibly be happier for Annie. Jonathon seemed like the perfect guy for her. 

He leaned closer to Francis then and said, "Just between you and me, I think she tricked me. She knew I would never have proposed had I knew of those little buggers." The way he emphasized the last word made Francis burst out in laughter and Annie smacked his arm playfully.

Jonathon grinned widely, "Actually they're quite fond of me now. I'm going to be a great daddy."

More laughter erupted from everyone and Francis placed her hand on her stomach, she laughed so much. She didn't know why she was so worried, the night was turning out brilliantly.

After the excitement of the big announcement ceased, they sat down again and the waiters began to fill their plates with food. Francis was oddly starving but she didn't want to look like a complete savage in front of the Harington family, especially not in front of a year older brother Christopher, who was sitting so close to her, she felt the soft fabric of his suit sometimes rub against her bare arm. She shivered unvolunterily every time. And the worse thing about it was that he seemed to have been very aware of it as well.

Then there was also the fact that they were serving a lot of champagne and wine, both the things Francis wasn't good at drinking. But the wavering presence of Christopher, his low voice and at one point almost seductive laughter, made her grab and gulp down the alcohol at any given opportunity. The affect of which she felt too soon. And she found herself excusing herself, the sharp and judgemental stares of Annie's mother and Mr and Mrs Harington not bothering her at all anymore. She was far too light-headed for it now. She was afraid Annie might have had noticed her current drunken state, but she was too endulged in an adorable conversation with Jonathon and his little sister Elizabeth to awknowledge anything more than Francis' absence.

Francis made a b line towards the restaurant's bathroom, but then she suddenly remembered she really didn't like that place all too much and she turned on her heels. She walked outside instead, the chilly night air sobering her up a little. She breathed in deeply and pulled at her dress slightly. She felt like after the dessert she couldn't breath properly in it anymore. Or perhaps that was just because of Christopher's presence. 

'I don't believe we've formally met yet. I'm Christopher.' 

The moment he presented himself at her when they were all chattering away, waiting for the main course to arrive, was the moment she couldn't ignore him any longer. She shook his hand reluctantly, repeating her name to him. She suppressed the intense electrifying shivers that went up her arm.

'I like your name.'

His words inflicted right into her brain and she couldn't shake the double meaning of them from her head. She shouldn't be thinking of him. Despite him being the brother of her best friend's future husband, she didn't know a thing about him. And she certainly didn't want to make things even more awkward. But no matter how hard she tried to disagree with what she was feeling (as much as she could disagree for the state she was in currently) whenever she thought of him, she couldn't forget and shut him out completely.

Francis didn't know how long she stood out there, people coming in and out of the restaurant, and she barely felt the cold against her exposed skin.

"Are you trying to freeze to death?"

Her whole body shook at the sound of a the familiar low voice and she flinched, her eyes meeting Christopher's as if she knew exactly where he stood. And he stood behind her, too close for her to relax. He smiled shyly, which she didn't see before on him and took a step to the side, so their shoulders were in line.

"No." She replied without much thought. She watched him quietly when he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and an expensive looking lighter.

"Do you smoke?" She didn't, but she found herself nodding. It was a dangerous thought that he could convince her into anything with only so much as looking or smiling at her. His hand with the pack of cigarettes extended at her and her shaky fingers took it.

"Actually I don't," she confessed, closing the pack when he lit up the cigarette he had between his lips.

"Oh?" He glanced at her, inspecting her perplexed face as he inhaled the smoke and then blew it out.

She gave him the pack back, his fingers brushing over hers as she did so. Their eyes locked again and she forced to look away, folding her arms over her chest. After he awknowledged the cold outside, she started feeling it too.  
They stood in silence for a while, Christopher smoking and Francis staring ahead across the busy road at a tall building.

"You looked shocked about my brother and your friend Maryanne."

Francis shrugged, "I think we all were." She looked at him, seeing he had just stubbed the end of the cigarette with his shoe.

"But I knew Jonathon was dating Maryanne," Christopher grinned, almost in a mischievous way.

"Appearantly everyone did." Francis nodded.

"Except for you." He insisted casually.

"Yes."

"I apologize, I didn't mean to -"

"Oh no," she shook her head a little too fast and it made her dizzy. She also felt braver than before. Perhaps it was the alcohol that was making her this way, because if she was completely sober she'd never act so bluntly.  
She turned her body fully to him, his attention visibly shifting from her face to her chest. Her eyes squinted.

"Don't apologize." She told, tucking her wavy curls behind her ears. He looked up at her.

They stayed quiet again, but his eyes were speaking all kinds of things. "We should go back inside," he suggested then, gesturing towards the entrance.

"Sure." She let out the air through her nose, not even knowing why she felt agitated by him. He was just so polite and restrained, but when she looked into his eyes there was something else there. Something that he was holding back, perhaps a desire that she wanted to... She wanted to see.

When they both sat behind the table again, his presence didn't seem to bother her so much anymore. She still felt a bit dizzy from all the champagne, but the dinner was slowly coming to an end. And the truth was, Francis had enough surprises and mixed emotions for one night. She stole a glance at Annie's perverted brother David, making sure he wasn't undressing her with his eyes as he was before during the main course. But he was talking to his mother and Francis visibly relaxed. Yet she had no idea that the man sitting next to her noticed her eyeing David and put the two and two together in a very wrong way.


End file.
